Next up: Megson

Milan Mandaric has sacked Gary Megson this evening. Megson who has legend status at Hillsborough and I thought had bought some time with the Wendnesday-ites lasted just a year in this massive job. It is not true however that his severance pay will be put in a Monaco bank account in the name of Megson’s pet whippet.

The only real surprise is that it came on the back of beating city rivals United on Sunday but watching these Yorkshire teams self-combust at thought of chasing us southern softie shandy drinkers is bloody hilarious.

Chesterfield 0 Charlton Athletic 4

A performance of champions tonight. The Spireites had won their last two games at home (Wednesday and Bournemouth), defensively they have been very sound at the B2Net and of course they are scrapping. To run out 4-0 winners was, well, a performance to warm the soul.

I think we all deep down hoped that BWP would run a little wild tonight, and he did. Although (I haven’t seen the goals) his first and third might be appealed to the dubious goals committee, but whatever, we have our Bradley back….. and with a little luck he might have had 9 goals these last few days!!

The 2011 Shower Gellies™

The Academy Awards are tonight, and as is traditional I will guide you through my annual Chicago Addick Shower Gellies™. If you have just tuned in, then unfortunately you have missed the red carpet.

Now don’t log off, this is the sort of thing that keeps me up at night. I stayed in 25 hotels in 2011, that is one every other week, and I can’t tell you how pissed off I get when hotels charge the weekly wage of a journeyman League One footballer have beds that are like sleeping on big white fluffy clouds with 46 pillows and showers that are glass encased tardises yet expect you to bathe with a thimble of watery liquid, that’s if you are lucky.

Charlton Athletic 2 Stevenage 0

Ye of little faith. A massive result for the Addicks today against Stevenage who were well and truly put back in their box.

Not just 3 points but it sounded a very positive display, notably so in the 2nd half and all in front of an excellent crowd of 26,546. The biggest 3rd tier attendance at The Valley since World War II. It was also the biggest ever league crowd to watch Stevenage in their history!

Hayes and Doherty go out on loan

Both have signed for Wycombe Wanderers until the end of the season. Both are ineligible to play against us in April.

Now The Doc is not a surprise but Hayes is. With Danny Haynes injured it leaves us rather short up front. Clarke has yet to make his mark and beyond him we only have the untried, albeit exciting prospects of Tobi Sho-Silva and Adebayo Azeez. I wonder if Powell will make a move himself into the loan market?

He runs down the wing for me

Will he, won’t he? Chrissy Powell talked about not rushing Jackson back midweek and I don’t think he’ll be risked tomorrow against one of the division’s known cloggers.

Question is who will play on the left side and what is Hogan Ephraim up to these days? Anyone have his number?

We miss the skipper don’t we? His leadership, his desire to win, his goals. It was no coincidence that last year’s collapse coincided with a Jackson injury but anyway, we’ve moved on. 15 games left, deep breath. Buckle up.

Charlton Athletic 1 Rochdale 1

Even standing on the sidelines here I could see that there were so many players out of position last night, the game was already flawed before it even started. I have to think that Solly pulled out sick so close to kick off that Andy Hughes was sat at home with a cuppa in front of The Brits.

Mind you earlier in the day on Twitter Cedric Evina hinted that he might feature, so maybe it was known for some time that Solly was a doubt.

Powell talks of balance but with right footed Green on the left, left footed Wiggins on the right and the central midfielder Pritchard in right midfield the side was as balanced as a one legged tightrope walker.

Free pass

A bit of a free pass this week as the Sheffield clubs don’t meet until Sunday lunchtime, MK Dons do play tonight but there are a huge 6 points up for grabs these next four days.

The games come thick and fast now, no time to dwell on past performances that have caused a little anxiety amongst Addicks, but also include wins against three of our rivals.

We were due a poor run, no one can play for 9 months and beat everyone in sight convincingly. If this is our bad run, then I’ll bite your hand off.

Curbishley turns down Wolves

“The former Charlton and West Ham boss is believed to have dropped out because he and chairman Steve Morgan did not share the same vision for the club.” More.

One has to ask if Curbs will ever work again. As far as I can make out this is the closest he has come to a top flight job since he left West Ham in 2008. In fact I would go as far to say, does Curbs have the fire left in his belly to want to work in 24-hour-a-day under the microscope management job?

Tranmere Rovers 1 Charlton Athletic 1

Hey, a point at Tranmere is not a bad point, we aren’t going to win every game and as February moves into it’s second half we are still unbeaten in 2012. That incredibly is the fifth successive 1-1 draw against Tranny and ignoring the 4-0 thrashing we gave them a few years back we haven’t won there since 1975, although there has been a lot of draws.

I had a bad feeling about today so personally I’m happy to take a point and psychologically it’s always more desirable to have a better 2nd half than 1st half and judging by the radio we were oodles better after the break and created a number of chances.

Who remembers Alan Kimble?

There are not many twins who have played alongside each other in the same team. However two recent football stories peaked my interest in this unusual phenomenon.

Firstly Blackburn signed Marcus Olsson on deadline day and he joined his twin brother, Martin, at Ewood Park. Sir Alex already has the exciting and identical Brazilian full backs Rafael and Fabio da Silva at Old Trafford. Going back sometime I remember Ron and Paul Futcher at Luton Town and a little more recently Rod and Ray Wallace at Southampton as well as David and Dean Holdsworth at Watford. Both incidentially are now managers at Lincoln City and Aldershot respectively.

Youth team signal a club on the up

Charlton’s youth team had a fantastic win tonight at home to Spurs in the FA Youth Cup 5th Round. Oliver Muldoon, Johnnie Jackson style, smacking in a free-kick deep into injury time to warm the 1,371 crowd. Now Old Trafford and Manchester United await in the Quarter Finals. The date is set for February 29th.

Travelogue: Vancouver

I know my Canadian readers have been waiting for this! I was in Vancouver last May and it has taken me until now to finish my Travelogue post of this radiant city.

At just 125 years old Vancouver is a baby. Naturally Aboriginal’s trawled this part of the north-western coastline 8,000 years ago breathing in the fresh air, but it wasn’t until the Fraser Gold Rush in 1858 that folk showed any interest in the area when 25,000 men showed up with spades and swag bags. A few stayed and set up home and began Vancouver’s long history of logging. One man in particular called ‘Gassy’ Jack Deighton established a ramshackle tavern around the inner harbour of Burrard.
 
A steamship operator from Hull, Gassy Jack was quite a character and loved by the locals the area around his boozer was quickly named Gastown, as it is still today.

Charlton Athletic 2 MK Dons 1

After listening to the first half commentary I had to shoot off at half-time for a Valentines evening (consisting mostly of chocolate) with my two girls and had forgotten to take my phone to work, so I was oblivious to the goings on 2nd half. Obviously I was chuffed to bits that we won but I knew the score was always going to be more likely 2-1 than 4-0.

As I always do I deferred to Dave’s Drinking During the Game match report, and he was bitterly disappointed that we didn’t come out 2nd half and put on a show and I agree there are still many ’half-convereted’ at home games who need to be persuaded to come back regularly and part with dough they could better use on other leisure activities.

Lee Clarke sacked by Huddersfield

Have to say I am very surprised by the news that Huddersfield have sacked Lee Clarke this morning after their defeat to Sheffield United last night. Just goes to prove what an unforgiving business managing a football club is.

Huddersfield have been beaten just 3 times in 55 games and Clarke was said to have a good relationship with the club’s owner. I suppose Neil Warnock and Simon Grayson are available but it still seems an odd decision with Town 4 points from 2nd place.